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Impacted canine and wisdom teeth surgery...Terrified.

T

ThisIsAUsername

Junior member
Joined
Apr 15, 2019
Messages
4
Location
Brazil
Hello from Brazil! I avoided the dentist for years (too scary!) and only recently went back to put on braces. I was then told by my dentist that I have a baby tooth that never fell out and an impacted upper canine as a result. I'm currently wearing braces, so the plan is to do an exposure and pull the permanent canine down. He also told me that I have two (impacted) wisdom teeth I need to remove. I'm getting both procedures done this Wednesday with just local anesthesia (IV sedation and GA have to be done at a hospital and there's a waiting list!) and I'm really really nervous. I've always been sensitive to pain, and I've just been thinking about how bad it could be and other things that could go wrong. What if the dentist slices an artery or gives me a local anesthesia overdose?

I'm also a 19 year old law student and I have important exams next week. I know that the dentist will have to cut into my gums for both procedures, so how long (and painful) should I expect the recovery to be? Does anyone have a similar experience?
I also found this awful site that keeps a list of all the people who died after getting their teeth extracted and I'm kind of freaking out about the whole thing... :shame:
 
Hello from Brazil! I avoided the dentist for years (too scary!) and only recently went back to put on braces. I was then told by my dentist that I have a baby tooth that never fell out and an impacted upper canine as a result. I'm currently wearing braces, so the plan is to do an exposure and pull the permanent canine down. He also told me that I have two (impacted) wisdom teeth I need to remove. I'm getting both procedures done this Wednesday with just local anesthesia (IV sedation and GA have to be done at a hospital and there's a waiting list!) and I'm really really nervous. I've always been sensitive to pain, and I've just been thinking about how bad it could be and other things that could go wrong. What if the dentist slices an artery or gives me a local anesthesia overdose?

I'm also a 19 year old law student and I have important exams next week. I know that the dentist will have to cut into my gums for both procedures, so how long (and painful) should I expect the recovery to be? Does anyone have a similar experience?
I also found this awful site that keeps a list of all the people who died after getting their teeth extracted and I'm kind of freaking out about the whole thing... :shame:
Hi,

There are no arteries in the canine area and lower wisdom teeth, if it is of any comfort.
It sounds to me you are afraid of having a complication. If you did not have that exam next will, would you still be concerned about complications? Did you ask your dentist about complications?
There are a few ways to lessen the post operative pain (painkillers and antibiotics, cooling the area many others) which your dentist can tell you more about, but the most useful thing a dentist can do to support the fear of complication is make him/herself available at least via email or phone for the patient.
The fact you are young (19 is very young) is a very good thing, and the healing should be rather fast.
 
Thank you for the reply! Knowing that there are no arteries in those areas does make me feel better. :)

Yeah, I guess I am more afraid of the complications than the procedure itself. I did talk briefly with him about my fears and he says that the chances of anything happening are very very low, but I still can’t fully relax!
I would reschedule the surgery to another week if I could, but at this point it’s probably too late. But knowing that the odds of a fast recovery are in my favor has calmed me down a bit!
 
I actually had the impacted canines, both of them. Mine were discovered before I got braces. I don't know where yours is, but mine were in the roof of my mouth. They exposed them by cutting holes in my palate of my mouth and covering them with plastic to keep the skin from growing in, then let it heal. Then they took out the plastic, exposing the teeth, and slowly pulled them down with braces. It honestly was a bit of a blur. I know the recovery was not bad, because I had the surgery on a Friday, and was back at school the next Monday. I also only took ibuprofen.

More recently, I have had two apicoectomies, where they cut into the front of the gums, and expose the root tip, then remove the root tip and then sew the gums back. Even with removing bone, it was a pretty quick healing time. Your mouth heals much faster than you would imagine. I also only had local anesthetic for the apicos. The bleeding is minimal, honestly.

I had all four impacted wisdom teeth out in high school. I did have general anesthesia for that, but mine were pretty deep. The recovery for that was about a week for me, with all four. I also only took ibuprofen. They prescribed a heavier pain killer, but it made me sick, so I didn't take it.
 
Hey! Thought I should drop by and update. The extractions went well, everything took about an hour and I spent most of it listening to music with my eyes closed (so I could ignore what was happening! :p) and now I'm just sitting here with a completely numb mouth and tongue.
 
Well done!

Thank you for the update.

Can I ask you a question, completely sincerely?

While this dental surgery was surely no fun, was this emotionally less painful than the World Cup loss?

Again, I’m not trying to be a jerk. I am genuinely curious.
 
Honestly, Dg6300, I'd say it was about the same. :)
The World Cup loss was more of a shock than the surgery, though. At least I knew what to expect when the extractions started!
 
Very good!

Europe has won enough for awhile.

I hope Brazil and America meet in 2022 for the best final ever.

Good luck with your mouth. You’ll feel better in no time.
 
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